Design Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Connecticut
Connecticut's design engineer market spans aerospace and defense contractors like Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky, advanced manufacturing firms, and med-tech companies concentrated in Hartford, Bridgeport, and the Farmington Valley corridor. Several of these employers have established records of sponsoring H-1B visa and other work visas for qualified international design engineers.
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Get Access To All JobsAre you a kid at heart looking to build a career with a leading global children's toy, entertainment and digital gaming company?
At Spin Master, our unwavering commitment to open mindedness, integrity and innovation is a great part of what has made us an industry leader. How do we stay ahead of the pack? By hiring the best and brightest minds—and that’s why we want you!
Job Description:
What will you work on?
The Vice President, Design is responsible for the strategic leadership and execution of all aspects of design for new and carry forward products. Reporting to the President of Melissa Doug, this role will shape and guide the creative vision for the brand.
This role is required 4 days per week in our Connecticut office.
How will you create impact?
- Leading a team of designers at all levels and responsible for the creation and execution of products for the brand(s) in addition to partnering with vendors and inventors around the world to accomplish business goals and financials.
- Be the brand steward, ensuring new products deliver the Melissa Doug brand mission, aesthetic and quality.
- Serve as a key contributor in the creation of 3-year new product strategy and review and refine as needed.
- Champion, inspire and lead the internal team and external partners for the invention of new products based on innovation, insight, research, consumer needs, play pattern, play value, quality, safety and inclusive design that reflects children of all diverse abilities and backgrounds.
- Work with inventors and inventor relations team to evaluate submissions and reach out to the inventor and vendor community to seek out innovation.
- Communicate vision for each product assigned in visual, verbal and prototype forms.
- Manage designer workload, employing external resources when needed for all new product development to ensure key PD launch dates are achieved and the team are delivering on all aspects of the development process.
- Partner with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Quality Assurance, Marketing, Graphic Design, Sales, Planning, Copywriting) to ensure seamless and on-time development of each project.
- Partner and collaborate with both internal and external design and ID consultants and manage the development costs with all design team members to bring each product within agreed project budgets and cost targets.
- Lead the growth and development of the design team by training, mentoring and coaching team members at all levels, fostering and inspiring a culture of creativity, accountability and innovation.
What are your skills and experience?
- Minimum of 20 years of experience in consumer product design with direct experience within the Toy business and owned Brands/IP.
- Strong experience leading teams that drive high visibility, high impact design projects, with at least 10 years of experience managing and scaling teams, with proven mentoring and supervisory skills.
- Highly skilled at collaborating with diverse teams and stakeholders to influence outcomes, drive execution and refine processes.
- Proven track record of achieving KPIs in consumer product design, including product launch success, on-time delivery, cost targets and innovation pipeline performance.
LI-Hybrid #LI-HM1
This job posting is tied to an open vacancy.
What you can expect from us:
Our mission is to Make Life More Fun with a vision to push the boundaries of innovation, creativity, and fun.
- Growth and Career Opportunities
- Flexible Work Hours
- Innovation, Collaboration and Fun
- Comprehensive Benefits
- Other fun Perks!
What’s it like to work here?
Spin Master is a fast-paced, hands-on organization that provides many great opportunities for impactful decision-making; though our challenging start-up atmosphere isn’t for everyone, we have a proven record of opportunities for future advancement and internal transfers for our passionate and results driven team.
Everyone is welcome in our sandbox and we are committed to an accessible and inclusive hiring process that provides reasonable accommodation to all applicants.
Spin Master strives to create an accessible and inclusive application and selection process and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to job applicants who may require provisions to participate in the recruitment, selection and/or assessment processes. Should you require an accommodation, please contact our Talent Acquisition team, by email at TAinquiries@spinmaster.com or by phone at 416 364-6002 and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @SpinMaster to stay up to date on Spin Master career opportunities.
We do appreciate all interest; however only those selected for interview will be contacted.
Are you a kid at heart looking to build a career with a leading global children's toy, entertainment and digital gaming company?
At Spin Master, our unwavering commitment to open mindedness, integrity and innovation is a great part of what has made us an industry leader. How do we stay ahead of the pack? By hiring the best and brightest minds—and that’s why we want you!
Job Description:
What will you work on?
The Vice President, Design is responsible for the strategic leadership and execution of all aspects of design for new and carry forward products. Reporting to the President of Melissa Doug, this role will shape and guide the creative vision for the brand.
This role is required 4 days per week in our Connecticut office.
How will you create impact?
- Leading a team of designers at all levels and responsible for the creation and execution of products for the brand(s) in addition to partnering with vendors and inventors around the world to accomplish business goals and financials.
- Be the brand steward, ensuring new products deliver the Melissa Doug brand mission, aesthetic and quality.
- Serve as a key contributor in the creation of 3-year new product strategy and review and refine as needed.
- Champion, inspire and lead the internal team and external partners for the invention of new products based on innovation, insight, research, consumer needs, play pattern, play value, quality, safety and inclusive design that reflects children of all diverse abilities and backgrounds.
- Work with inventors and inventor relations team to evaluate submissions and reach out to the inventor and vendor community to seek out innovation.
- Communicate vision for each product assigned in visual, verbal and prototype forms.
- Manage designer workload, employing external resources when needed for all new product development to ensure key PD launch dates are achieved and the team are delivering on all aspects of the development process.
- Partner with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Quality Assurance, Marketing, Graphic Design, Sales, Planning, Copywriting) to ensure seamless and on-time development of each project.
- Partner and collaborate with both internal and external design and ID consultants and manage the development costs with all design team members to bring each product within agreed project budgets and cost targets.
- Lead the growth and development of the design team by training, mentoring and coaching team members at all levels, fostering and inspiring a culture of creativity, accountability and innovation.
What are your skills and experience?
- Minimum of 20 years of experience in consumer product design with direct experience within the Toy business and owned Brands/IP.
- Strong experience leading teams that drive high visibility, high impact design projects, with at least 10 years of experience managing and scaling teams, with proven mentoring and supervisory skills.
- Highly skilled at collaborating with diverse teams and stakeholders to influence outcomes, drive execution and refine processes.
- Proven track record of achieving KPIs in consumer product design, including product launch success, on-time delivery, cost targets and innovation pipeline performance.
LI-Hybrid #LI-HM1
This job posting is tied to an open vacancy.
What you can expect from us:
Our mission is to Make Life More Fun with a vision to push the boundaries of innovation, creativity, and fun.
- Growth and Career Opportunities
- Flexible Work Hours
- Innovation, Collaboration and Fun
- Comprehensive Benefits
- Other fun Perks!
What’s it like to work here?
Spin Master is a fast-paced, hands-on organization that provides many great opportunities for impactful decision-making; though our challenging start-up atmosphere isn’t for everyone, we have a proven record of opportunities for future advancement and internal transfers for our passionate and results driven team.
Everyone is welcome in our sandbox and we are committed to an accessible and inclusive hiring process that provides reasonable accommodation to all applicants.
Spin Master strives to create an accessible and inclusive application and selection process and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to job applicants who may require provisions to participate in the recruitment, selection and/or assessment processes. Should you require an accommodation, please contact our Talent Acquisition team, by email at TAinquiries@spinmaster.com or by phone at 416 364-6002 and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @SpinMaster to stay up to date on Spin Master career opportunities.
We do appreciate all interest; however only those selected for interview will be contacted.
Design Engineer Job Roles in Connecticut
See all 54+ Design Engineer Jobs in Connecticut
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Search Design Engineer Jobs in ConnecticutDesign Engineer Jobs in Connecticut: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for design engineers in Connecticut?
Connecticut's largest visa sponsors for design engineers include Pratt & Whitney (East Hartford), Sikorsky Aircraft (Stratford), Synchrony Financial, and Cigna, along with precision manufacturing firms in the Farmington Valley. Defense and aerospace contractors in the state have historically filed H-1B petitions for mechanical, systems, and product design engineers at relatively consistent volume. Checking DOL LCA disclosure data confirms which employers have active sponsorship records.
Which visa types are most common for design engineer roles in Connecticut?
The H-1B is the most common work visa for design engineers in Connecticut, as these roles typically qualify as specialty occupations requiring a bachelor's degree or higher in engineering. Candidates from Australia may pursue the E-3 visa. Those from Canada or Mexico may qualify under TN visa status, provided the role aligns with the USMCA engineer category. L-1B transfers are also used by multinational firms with Connecticut offices.
How to find design engineer visa sponsorship jobs in Connecticut?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international job seekers and filters design engineer roles in Connecticut by visa sponsorship history, so you're not sifting through listings from employers who won't sponsor. Because design engineering in Connecticut is concentrated in aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing, filtering by those industries on Migrate Mate helps narrow to employers with the strongest sponsorship track records in the state.
Which cities in Connecticut have the most design engineer sponsorship jobs?
Hartford and the surrounding metro, including East Hartford and Windsor, has the highest concentration of sponsored design engineer roles due to Pratt & Whitney and its supplier ecosystem. Stratford and Shelton attract aerospace and industrial engineering talent through Sikorsky and related contractors. Bridgeport and New Haven also have active hiring, particularly in product design and medical device engineering tied to Yale's research commercialization activity.
Are there any Connecticut-specific factors design engineers should know when seeking visa sponsorship?
Connecticut's defense and aerospace sector is heavily influenced by federal contracting, which can affect hiring timelines and sponsorship decisions. Some cleared positions require U.S. citizenship and are not open to visa holders. Design engineers targeting non-defense roles, particularly in medical devices or precision manufacturing, generally face fewer restrictions. Connecticut also benefits from a pipeline of engineering graduates from UConn and Yale, so competition at the entry level can be meaningful.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored design engineer jobs in Connecticut?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.